


Death of the Shell

by LittlePinkLark



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route Spoilers, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hubert is v soft, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Mentioned Black Eagles Students (Fire Emblem), Minor Original Character(s), Pegasus Knight, Post-Timeskip, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-10-12 03:47:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20557721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittlePinkLark/pseuds/LittlePinkLark
Summary: "A pegasus was not a creature that was born to fight - it was born to flee. All knights had to learn the value of trust to create such a bond with an animal that trusted no one. The union of pegasus and knight is the joining of predator and prey to make something more; it is the creation of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts."After speaking to Hubert about his confession that he wants to be a Pegasus Knight, Byleth begins to teach him. But in the process, the two discover emotions that they never knew they had.





	1. Centered

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Note that I've taken some creative liberties with this, and I hope that it won't spoil the story for you. I tried to be as canon-compliant as possible, though I didn't want to suffocate myself. Let me know what you think!
> 
> I played through my game with Byleth as a Falcon Knight, and -adored- Hubert's confession about wanting to be a Pegasus Knight in particular (as well as his character). Thus, the idea for this fanfiction was born! I've played through the game twice and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind.

On late afternoons like this, it was easy for Byleth to tie her mind into knots over the differences between her perception of time versus the reality of it. As she tended to her pale gold pegasus, Stellifer, she couldn't help but let go of her inner quiet and unleash a flurry of questions into the chambers of her mind. 

How had a mere slumber made five years feel like a mere nap to her, while those same years plagued the hearts and minds of everyone she had left behind over her perceived death?

When she had returned to the monastery, soaking wet and surely smelling of the river bed, Edelgard had thrown herself into Byleth's cold arms with tears in her violet eyes.

Not a single one of her friends had been able to accept that she was truly gone. They had all hoped that she would return to them again one day, they had said.

They all changed so much, yet they had remained the same at their respective cores. Byleth never felt strongly about much, but something stirred deep within her at the thought of it. Something like sorrow, or perhaps joy. A bittersweet feeling of loss, pride, and regret that she had not been there to see their lives unfold. It pained her to know that their youth had slipped into the drain of time while she slept in the cold waters of the river.

Edelgard was the one who appeared to have grown the most to her at first glance. She was still so stoic and strong, and had donned a horned crown upon her head. She seemed to have taken on the visage of a wyvern. Unyielding, proud (rightfully so), fierce, protective, and brimming with her own inner truth.

Petra, Ferdinand, and Dorothea's hair had grown to great lengths. All three of these students took a great deal of care of their appearances, and it seemed that they continued to do so despite not having ample time for it now. There was a certain tinge of sorrow in their faces now, though. Especially in Dorothea's, Byleth observed. She seemed particularly fed up with the killing and fighting.

Linhardt was pleased to see her immediately, making sure to tell her how her ability to make others smile was indispensable. He had grasped her hand in his own, speaking at length of the value of their friendship. He told her how much it meant to him that she actually listened to him talk about his research. The affectionate exchange warmed her heart.

Caspar and Bernie were similarly touched by her return, and were eager to recall the good times and the bad. Byleth was a little surprised, but pleased to see Bernie out of her room.

But of course, there was one person who was bound to avoid conversation with her. And she was not too keen on the idea of conversing with him, either. The last time they had talked he was sure to let her know that he liked her less and less as he found out more about her.

It wasn't a difficult decision to evade Hubert von Vestra.

Byleth didn't understand what she had done to upset Hubert so deeply. She hadn't expressed or felt anything but loyalty to Lady Edelgard and the path that she had chosen to walk. Byleth believed in her, and she believed in her choices. She wanted to support her, to be there for her, and to help her in any way that she could.

She had, on multiple occasions, saved Lady Edelgard's life. She attempted to prove herself at every turn, to demonstrate her worth, and to let it be known that she was someone to be trusted.

But her efforts always fell short, and no good deed went unpunished.

Byleth grew tired of her stormy thoughts. She wished only to spend time with her trusted pegasus after a busy day of catching up with her cherished friends. She had only returned two days before, and had not spent as much time at the stables and in the sky as she would have liked. A part of her had grown insecure - would she need to get back in touch with the part of her that was a born pegasus knight?

From the periphery of her vision she saw a tall, dark figure emerge from the stables across the way. Her hackles were raised immediately, and she turned to bring the mysterious person into full view.

To her surprise it was Hubert - with a pegasus fawn in his arms. He froze at the sight of her, as if he had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be. The fawn was small with a rosy tint to its coat. It turned its head and blinked its large, sleepy eyes at her before yawning and nuzzling its head into Hubert's chest. He stroked its mane and looked down at it. Byleth tethered Stellifer to the hitching post and rushed over.

"That's quite the little one," said Byleth hastily as she approached.

"Ah, um, yes she is," Hubert stammered. The blood drained from his face and his eyes darted back and forth between Byleth and the fawn. "I've been having trouble getting her to eat since her mother passed. She rejects the bottle, I'm afraid," He adjusted his hold on her to make sure that her fragile wings had space to unfold as she stretched. One wing brushed against his face and lifted his bangs awkwardly into the air. He did not make an attempt to fix it.

Byleth could hardly believe what she was seeing. Hubert - caring for a baby pegasus? It would have been comical if the mere sight of him didn't put a bad taste in her mouth. A part of her wondered if this was some sort of trick. Did he want her to take the creature off his hands for him? Was he being made to do this? She held her arms out, and he stared at her with a single eyebrow raised.

"Yes...? Can I help you?" He said slowly with mild concern. "Surely you aren't looking for a hug from me, of all people."

She scoffed in reply. "Of course not. I was offering to take the fawn."

"Don't be absurd," Hubert laughed coarsely. "Petal will bite you, and quite hard too. She bites almost everyone."

"Did you say "Petal"? Did you name her that?" Petal's ears and wings twitched at the sound of her name.

"Yes, I did say that. And no I did not. She was named by Randolph's younger sister, Fleche. It was a favor he asked of me, really. She's fond of animals, as most children her age are, and tending to the young pegasi brings her some measure of joy. It allows her to experience something resembling a normal childhood."

Byleth took a deep breath through her nose. She understood the sentiment. If she had a childhood to call her own, she would have liked it to include such enchanting creatures. Their elegant, feathered wings - so beautiful and strong. Their eyes were filled with some sort of ancient knowledge, and seemed to understand her better than she understood herself. While she could see why most people would want to be near the creatures, it still eluded her why Hubert was there. Despite how she felt about Hubert, she still wanted to help Petal.

"Well, I like to think I know a thing or two. Want to try a trick I learned while weaning a few fawns off their mothers when they left for battle?"

"Please." Hubert leaned towards Byleth. "Her bottle is in my satchel."

Still feeling vulnerable and skeptical, she hesitated to touch the bag. "The bag doesn't have teeth," he reassured her. She sighed and opened the clasp, noting how well maintained the bag was. It was apparent that Hubert cared meticulously for his things, taking the time to clean and mend them. She removed the bottle, wrapped in a soft cloth. After unscrewing the top and removing the nipple, she held it out to him.

"I can't do this myself as she'll give me a good hard bite, but since it appears that she's chosen you as her surrogate parent it should work for you. Dip your fingers in the milk and try offering them to her. If she trusts you enough, she may feed from your fingers."

Hubert shifted uncomfortably. Byleth was prepared to explain to him that this was the best method she knew of, that Petal may starve if someone didn't find a way to feed her, and that he needed to stop fussing. She was prepared for him to complain, to threaten her, or to be too prideful to do it.

But he didn't. He dipped his fingers in the milk and offered them to Petal, who hungrily fed on the milk. He continued to feed her as the two stood together silently. Byleth hardly knew what to say, but she searched for words eagerly and swam in mild embarrassment at how wrong she had been.

"So you've taken to pegasus care?" she asked quietly.

He simply nodded, a hint of a smile on his lips as Petal finished the last of the milk.

"We can slowly get her accustomed to using the bottle instead of your fingers in no time."

"Grand," Hubert said, his voice barely above a whisper. Petal's eyes had fluttered closed. "She likes to sleep with Stellifer, if you can believe it. Your mount is a kind and gentle creature. She does well with the fawns. Do you mind if I enter her enclosure and put Petal to bed?"

"Please, it would be no trouble," Byleth nodded earnestly and replaced the bottle in his bag after carefully sealing and wrapping it.

After putting Petal to sleep, the two stepped out into the pasture. It appeared as though the area had been well tended while she was gone, and even expanded in her absence. A new fence had been built, new troughs had been placed, and an unfamiliar shade tree had been planted. White blossoms nestled amongst small, vibrant red fruit that sprang from the branches. Winesap apples, she deliberated.

A few stray fruits had found their way to the ground, but it must have happened recently. They still appeared to be quite fresh. Byleth released Stellifer from her tether and stroked the feathers of her wings gently. Stellifer tossed her head and trotted towards the fallen apples with the enthusiasm of an excitable child. The sun had begun to lower in the sky, bringing a pink and violet hue to the clouds. The dew on the grass glimmered in the light, and it all would have felt a bit magical if it hadn't been for the tension in the air between the awkward pair.

Hubert followed Stellifer and picked up the stray fruits that she was not focused on, pocketing them. "Well now, don't want her getting into too many of these," he said. "All things in moderation."

Byleth had had enough. It was time to find out what he was up to.

"So, why are you here? Did you just decide to stop being a mage and become a Pegasus Knight once you knew you wouldn't have to see me at the stables?"

A look of surprise crossed Hubert's face, but was quickly replaced with something she couldn't quite place.

"No, of course it was nothing like that. It's been said that pegasi will only allow women to ride them anyway," Hubert claimed solemnly as he placed a hand on Stellifer's neck gently. His fingers stroked the silver locks of her mane kindly. Byleth felt her eyes soften fondly at the sight. Perhaps he wasn't as bad as she had remembered. Five years had passed, after all.

"While I'd like to tell you that such a stupid claim isn't true, unfortunately I've never seen the claim tested. However, I question it. People tend to accept stupid things as absolutes without ever doing a thorough investigation," Byleth replied boldly. She emptied a drinking trough that had grown muddy and wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Do go on," Hubert encouraged her, turning on his heel in her direction and placing a hand under his chin pensively. She motioned towards him to help her with a couple bales of hay. He hesitated for a moment before removing his gloves, rolling his sleeves up, and joining her. It was an odd sight, the two of them carrying hay together.

"I would like to preface this by saying I don't know myself very well, so take this for what it's worth," Byleth smiled weakly, and Hubert nodded in acknowledgement. His cheeks flushed with effort.

"People have claimed that a pegasus will not only accept female riders exclusively, but that they will only take to a maiden who is "pure." Stellifer accepted me almost immediately when we were introduced, and at first I accepted the claim about purity to be true. I didn't care to question it. I didn't care to think about my own nature. But I began to question it immediately when I learned of the nickname that I earned as a mercenary."

"Go on."

"The Ashen Demon."

Hubert paused for a moment, as if tasting the moniker and seeing if it was to his liking. He smirked and crossed his arms. He always did prefer bitter things, after all. "Curious. I wonder what one must do in order to earn such a ghoulish title. Please do elaborate."

Byleth looked at the sky and leaned against the stable wall. "It's a bit embarrassing to talk about myself this way, but I suppose people were frightened of me back when I worked with my father." She chewed the dry skin on her bottom lip. "Hence the name. That's all I know of it. But how pure could I truly be if people really felt like that?"

"Frightened? Of you?" Hubert chuckled.

Byleth paused for a moment and furrowed her brow. She was considering whether or not the route she was about to take was appropriate. Was their relationship still as it had been before: tumultuous and cruel, without a drop of trust despite shared hardships, and barely resembling a student-teacher relationship - not to mention a friendship?

And yet that's how he was seeming to treat Byleth this evening: as an old friend would. Something had softened the sharp edges of his persona, though she feared they were still fully capable of drawing blood if they caught her from a certain angle.

Could she ever find it in her heart to trust a man who threatened her life while she tried with all of her heart to be his friend?

Upon arriving at Garreg Mach, she saw no distinction between ally and friend. But after meeting The Immaculate One, the line had grown absolutely distinct.

"Why would such a thing be amusing to you? I-"

He raised both hands in surrender, and Byleth paused at the gesture.

"I do owe you an apology. I've never been good at such things. I've grown better with words than I was the last time we saw each other, but please forgive me." He took a step forwarded and bowed, sincerely, politely, and looked into Byleth's bewildered face.

"Thank you," She replied. "But I'd like to know what it is you're apologizing for, exactly. It's hard to accept an apology when I don't know what it's for."

Hubert felt his heart turn cold and drop into his stomach. He had thought, surely, that the apology would be enough. These were the types of situations he did not handle well. He could interrogate someone without a moment's hesitation if it was for the greater good, and he could confront some of the most fearsome warriors in the land with his magical prowess on the battlefield. But doling out a simple apology for his misbehavior from when he was but a whelp was beyond him. Every part of him wanted to run.

"I, erm..."

Byleth lifted an eyebrow in response, watching the man squirm as he was put on the spot.

"Lady Edelgard places great trust and value in you and your abilities, and I failed to see why when we first met. I envied you, even. And yet your absence was felt deeply... By all. I would hate to have been the cause of it, and I... Threatened you, many times. For that, I apologize."

Byleth wore an expression of genuine surprise. The moment was interrupted by Stellifer, who trotted up behind her and began to nibble at her hip looking for a sugar cube. She nuzzled Byleth's forearm, who absent-mindedly patted the pockets of her coat.

"I hope that explanation, um, suits your needs." Hubert's eyes trailed away from Byleth and towards the crumbling monastery behind her. The sun was setting behind it. He ran a hand through his dark curls awkwardly.

"Thanks, Hubert. It does," Byleth said softly. She felt the tension leave her body, and a sense of relief wash over her.

Stellifer meandered over to Hubert after giving up on Byleth as a source of food, and began to press her muzzle against his ribs, seeking out the winesap apples in his pockets. He jumped, startled by the sudden contact. Byleth giggled, and Hubert looked at her with mild shock.

"Professor, did you just laugh?"

Byleth chewed her lip and shrugged.

"Come to think of it, I don't think that I've ever seen you laugh before. Interesting, that."

She smiled mischievously. "Maybe you just aren't funny."

Hubert looked truly surprised at the friendly quip, but chuckled darkly. "Getting comfortable, are we?"

Byleth shrugged again, a blank look on her face. She approached him and Stellifer, and took the creature by the reigns to lead her to the stables.

"Say good night, Stelly," said Byleth kindly. Hubert gave the pegasus a soft pat on the nose before Byleth put her up for the night and returned, hands in her coat pockets to warm them.

Hubert never knew quite what to do with that expressionless demeanor of hers. It's part of what had driven him to a stance of distrust at his most immature state. He could not read her. She seemed so empty, yet conflicted at the same time. Now, though, he was just curious. While the Professor was gone, he had grown to see what others liked about her. She was someone he could learn from, and someone he could grow through.

And she was also someone he could confess things to.

He watched her head towards the dorm buildings after leaving the stables, and he lightly jogged to her side.

"Professor," He called after her. She paused and waited for him. "Do you remember receiving my confession all that time ago?"

"Your confession?"

"Ah, perhaps you don't. Never mind, then." He felt the blood rush to his face in embarrassment.

"No please, go on. I do remember. I was just prompting you to continue. I'd like to know what you are thinking about."

He hesitated, digging the toe of his boot into the soil. "Well, you see, five years ago I made a confession and you responded. I confessed that I'd, erm, like to be a Pegasus Knight. But I could never be, and it's because I'm afraid of heights."

The sun was barely there, now. Just a crescent of light perched on the rolling hills.

Byleth tilted her head back and closed her eyes. "That must be why you came. I had a feeling."

"Partly. I came here for a myriad of reasons, truth be told. I made a habit of bonding with Stellifer in your absence. I've never tried to ride her. But I am here each day, so much so that she knows me."

Byleth's eyes widened.

"I didn't want your steed to be without a companion. I have read about the pegasi extensively. They form a lifelong bond with their handler and will serve their master with unrivaled dedication for life. They can die of loneliness without interaction. I wanted to be sure she'd still be here when you returned."

He stopped for a moment and shifted. "So that you could serve Lady Edelgard to the best of your ability. A new pegasus is a whole new experience, of course. Each animal is unique."

It became quite clear to her for the first time, then, that Lady Edelgard was more than Hubert's master. She was, in many ways, a safe haven for him. A place he could hide from himself. If he were doing this for the sake of Lady Edelgard, he wouldn't have to admit that he wanted to be a pegasus knight for his own sake. He wouldn't have to admit that he saw himself in the dedication and loyalty of these animals. He wouldn't have to look in the mirror if he never looked away from her.

"I will make you a pegasus knight, Hubert."

"Ah, a kind idea but impossible. Between my fear of heights and the fact that-"

"It isn't impossible, we don't know that," Byleth turned and looked him straight in the eyes. The fire in them unsettled him slightly. He fidgeted and lowered his gaze. "Let me show you. Let me try my hardest. Let me repay you"

He paused for a moment, and finally nodded in agreement.


	2. Ready?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edelgard and Byleth discuss Hubert's fear of heights over tea, and Edelgard realizes that Hubert may have more secrets than he lets on. Hubert receives his first lesson, and experiences some unfamiliar emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Wow, I can't express how happy I am to have received all of your kind and supportive comments. Huleth fans are good people! I hope you enjoy this chapter. It took me a little longer than I would have liked, as I had a busy schedule this week. Hopefully Ch. 3 will be ready by the end of this weekend, though I can't make promises. Quality over quantity! Check in at the end for some spoilery notes!

It had been so long since the professor had met with Edelgard for tea that it almost felt dreamlike to be sitting in the shade and waiting for her to arrive. She was overjoyed at their reunion. If she felt grateful to the Goddess for one thing at all, it was for the return of her precious teacher. She fidgeted as her eyes searched for that familiar silhouette. She felt slightly tempted to partake in a cucumber sandwich or a biscuit, as hunger was beginning to overtake her. But no, she scolded herself. She was Empress now. Such a childish urge must be resisted. 

It had surprised her beyond words that Hubert came to her with news that he would be working with the professor so that he could learn to be a Pegasus Knight. A part of her was happy that the two of them would be working together so closely. Hubert rarely showed positive interest in spending time with other people, and the possibility of him making a friend? "Unheard of" were the only words to describe it. So she encouraged him, gently, before it really struck her.

He never seemed very comfortable in high places.

Edelgard knew that someone as guarded as Hubert would feel too ashamed to admit something as personal as a fear of heights to her, but he was not the best at hiding it. She liked to think that she had grown to be something of an expert at reading him after they had spent the better part of their lives together. On one occasion she had watched him break into a cold sweat on a balcony as his eyes avoided the view as much as possible. He even went as far as turning his back. She watched him grip the reins of his horse so tightly that his knuckles turned white as he crossed bridges on occasions when he wasn't wearing gloves.

"Is something the matter?" She would ask gently.

"A mere trifle. Nothing worth concerning yourself over, Lady Edelgard."

She sighed, eyelashes lowered and fingers laced together. "I hope I haven't kept you waiting," a husky, yet feminine voice interrupted her thoughts.

"My teacher!" she exclaimed, looking up and smiling. "Please, take a seat."

Byleth nodded and obliged. She was impressed at the numerous treats that Edelgard had prepared, and was unsure of what to partake in first. She was never taught proper tea time manners while living as a mercenary. She felt a slight sense of unease as she watched literal royalty begin to pour a cup of tea for her.

"You don't have to do that for me."

"Nonsense," Edelgard laughed. "It's such a pleasure to be here with you right now. I feel that we haven't had a moment alone together since you returned. I hardly mind."

Byleth's demeanor softened and she allowed herself to relax. She curled a lock of hair around her index finger. She did all she could to fight back the blush that was creeping across her cheeks. Being in the vicinity of Edelgard always made her feel some sort of way. If she was being honest with herself, she found the fair-haired girl's beauty to be overwhelming - perhaps even a bit bewitching. She understood why Hubert...

"Hubert?" Byleth mouthed with mild surprise. What was he doing in her thoughts? She rarely thought of him. What was he doing invading her precious moment with Edelgard? She shook her head vigorously as if the act could rid her mind of him.

"Ah yes, Hubert. That's why I've brought you here. How would you like your tea, by the way?"

Byleth wrinkled her nose. Had she said his named out loud? And THAT was the reason for their tea party? To talk about him, of all people? She was grateful, if only in that moment, for her flat affect - it shielded her from expressing the feelings she preferred to hide.

"Just plain, but thank you for asking."

"We're so much alike," said Edelgard bemusedly. "I feel a little silly for bringing sugar, lemons, cream. I forgot what you liked after all of this time." She motioned to the china set before them. Thinly sliced, vibrant lemons arranged in a circle on a tiny plate. A saucer filled with cream. A part of Byleth felt guilty.

"But let's get to the heart of the matter, shall we?"

"Yes, let's," Byleth agreed. She had grown quite curious about what there was to discuss regarding Von Vestra. She tested the heat of her tea with her lips. Still too hot. A black cat rubbed against her leg as it passed through the gardens and disappeared into the brush.

"You asked Hubert to train to be a Pegasus Knight with you. Why?" Edelgard asked frankly.

Byleth blinked and placed her cup down on the saucer. "He said it was his **dream**. He said he wanted to, um, something about the "lofty" sights? The view?"

Edelgard's brow furrowed at the words. She paused for a moment, and took a long sip from her tea. Byleth could only imagine that she was burning the inside of her mouth something fierce. "His **dream**?" She touched her forehead and closed her eyes as though she had lost her patience. "That man hides so much from me. Honestly."

"He is... mysterious," Byleth replied.

Edelgard placed the cup down with a slight clatter. "But he's afraid of heights!" She exclaimed. Byleth jumped at the sudden sound and smiled weakly at the words, unsure of how else to reply.

"Are you certain he isn't doing this out of some misplaced sense of duty to address a minor complaint I made in the past? I had some reservations about the lack of leadership in our pegasus unit for a time, but that was before you returned to us. I'm sure he trusts that you can handle that yourself."

"Yeah," Byleth replied. She had grown curious about the cream, and decided to pour a bit of it into her tea.

Edelgard had grown animated and was gesturing passionately as she spoke. It was clear that she was deeply concerned, like a doting mother would be. "Do you think he's feeling okay? He's never spoken about having dreams to me." She placed a hand on her chest.

Byleth stirred the tea and gave it an exploratory sip.

"Perhaps he has a fever," the distressed emperor suggested.

"Tea with cream is disgusting," Byleth observed, squinting her eyes and tilting her head to the side like a confused puppy.

"My teacher, this is a serious matter. Hubert might be ill... or something!"

"I doubt that. He told me through the, um," she snapped her fingers, trying to find the words. "The advice box! Five years ago," Byleth lowered her voice as she said this. The look of surprise on Edelgard's face amplified.

"I could never imagine him using that. He never ceases to surprise me!" She poured herself another cup and began to drink the piping hot liquid almost immediately.

Thoughts of him feeding Petal by hand rushed to Byleth's mind. "Surprise" didn't justify the feelings she was experiencing.

* * *

To say that Hubert "stood out" among the other Pegasus Knights would be a major understatement. He was a crow in a flock of chickadees. Sprightly young women in black and gold knee high socks and miniskirts whispered and giggled behind his back as they passed, leading their pegasi toward the towers and pastures.

Byleth approached with a sour look on her face. She was greatly displeased to see this kind of behavior from her comrades, though she wasn't surprised. A man amidst their ranks was not something that they had ever expected - especially one as brooding as Hubert. Was this the kind of thing Hubert was putting up with all along while taking caring of Stellifer? No more - not on her watch.

"Do you have something to say to your General this morning?" Byleth said sternly. Her ability to sound authoritative had accumulated a bit of rust, but she still had it. The girls froze in their tracks. One of them visibly trembled. "I would just love to hear your gossip about the person who cared for my pegasus for five years while you literally **laughed** at him!"

"N-no ma'am!"

"I would think you'd be at the top of those towers practicing your drills by now, instead of being rude to your comrade in arms. Go on now!"

The girls nodded and scrambled onto the backs of their mounts. She could hear them whispering as they hurried away, but she thought better than to stop them and badger them further. Still, she could not help but curl her toes in frustration.

"Well, well, professor," Hubert approached with his arms crossed and a teasing smile on his face. "If you continue to show such unyielding loyalty to me, I may begin to believe that you admire me."

Byleth placed a finger to her lips and tapped them pensively. It was her time to fluster him, she decided.

"You wouldn't be wrong. I have always wanted to be your friend."

Hubert cycled through approximately four to five facial expressions in the span of five seconds. It was as though Byleth spun all of the wheels in his head at simultaneously.

"I, ah - MY friend?" His face felt as though it was on fire. This was a sensation that was entirely new to him.

"But hey, we ought to get started. So please elaborate on your fear of heights, as overcoming it will be your first obstacle to tackle. Do you think we could sit on one of those tower's platforms without it making you too uncomfortable?"

She extended an arm straight up over her head, pointing into the sky. The tower was all dull grey stone with diving platforms extending outwards in spirals from each floor. Hubert counted at least fifteen of them, and didn't want to know what they were for.

He growled with frustration. Discussing his fears with her, or anyone for that matter, was deeply unsettling for him. It just wasn't something that he did. It was none of her business. Regret began to set in.

But that smile. That smile that he risked life and limb for, bringing her violet eyes to form two crescent moon shapes. "I'm so happy to hear you have a dream of your very own," Lady Edelgard had said, her hands clasped together in joy.

For her, he decided. If he wasn't going to follow his dream for himself, then he would do it to bring her some semblance of happiness. For her, he would do anything. Even if it meant humiliating himself.

"If I must disclose this information to you, then yes, going to the top of the tower would... Make me quite uncomfortable."

Byleth gave him a sympathetic smile. "Even some of our more experienced knights don't dive from the top. I would never ask you to on your firs-"

"Dive?" He stammered.

"Ah, some of them are on the 10th now. Take a look."

Byleth stepped back and stood next to Hubert. She pointed up to a platform extending near the top of the tower. Hubert squinted a bit, tilting his chin up. His eyes caught the sparkle of armor gleaming in the sun and opalescent wings spreading against the pale blue sky. They looked small from a distance.

Hubert found himself growing dizzy looking up at them. Nausea spread through his abdomen, heavy and thick as though he had swallowed a fistful of stones. The mount stepped to the edge of the platform, rider in tow, and took an immediate and sudden nosedive. Hubert's breath hitched in his throat with secondhand exhilaration. The rider flattened her body against the pegasus's back, Raven hair flowing in a shining stream behind her. The pegasus's wings folded, and the pair plummeted towards the ground like a falcon chasing prey.

It was almost unbearable to watch, but the two sprang upright as one unit with a verbal command that sounded like nothing more than a cry in the wind. The pegasus, as if an extension of the knight's body, extended its wings and released a shower of pearly feathers upon the two. The other girls cheered from the platform.

The knight landed in front of them, and to Hubert's amazement she didn't look a bit dazed by the feat she had just performed. Her hair was wild, and her emerald eyes were brimming with pride.

"Professor! I'm so happy you saw that! Was that a perfect dive or **what**?"

Byleth clasped the girls hand with elation. It was more joy than he had ever seen her express. "That was incredible! You've improved so much!"

The girl blushed. "Oh Goddess, you flatter me."

"By the way, Meredith - is the fifth floor clear right now? I want to take Hubert there. If it isn't, can you please vacate it for me?" Byleth asked.

"Certainly."

Hubert felt a lump form in his throat. He'd been up higher than five stories. That wasn't the problem. The problem was those platforms. He rubbed his temple as he watched Byleth walk away. He wasn't sure where she was going, but it gave him a moment to take some deep breaths in peace without her-

She was coming back with Stellifer. Surely she didn't expect him to ride up there?

"Kneel, Stellifer," she said after making a clicking sound with her tongue. Stellifer landed and folded her wings against her sides. She pawed at the ground restlessly. Hubert turned his head away and sighed, feeling shame settle in the pit of his stomach. He was surrounded by so much happiness, but all he could feel was some odd mixture of agitation and discomfort.

"She's just happy to see you," Byleth said warmly. "She likes you!"

Hubert tried to smile, but he was too nervous. Byleth wasn't great at reading people, but it was plain as day to her that things weren't going well for Hubert. She paused for a moment, and then placed a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, we don't have to do this if you don't want to," she said sympathetically.

"Stop pitying me. I'm not a child," he muttered as he brushed away her hand.

Byleth frowned and sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. She had already resolved to make this work, regardless of whether Hubert wanted to get along with her or not. She understood not wanting to be pitied, but did he have to be like that when she was trying to be kind? No matter - he was just having a hard time. She understood, and she wanted to be patient. She climbed onto Stellifer and scooted back as far as she could, then reached her hand out to Hubert to help him up. "Just like a horse, but mind the wings with your feet. You'll get thrown before you can blink if you kick a pegasus in the wings."

He raised his eyebrows incredulously. "Can Stellifer really bear two riders at once?"

"Yes, if we don't make her fly. We're not going to go anywhere - I just want to see if she'll let you on at all," Byleth responded. 

Hubert peeled his gloves off in two quick motions and stepped forward. He swallowed and reached for her hand hesitantly. It was an empty touch, really. Just a simple gesture of solidarity, but goose flesh sprang down her back like flowers blooming, and the baby hairs on her neck stood at attention as their hands clasped. His skin was softer than she expected. A mage's hand, she thought. Not calloused by overuse or handling weapons like hers, but more suited to holding a pen and turning a page. He did not show the same hesitation in climbing onto Stellifer as he did in touching Byleth. He got on in one smooth motion.

The blood in Byleth's head pounded. Would Stellifer begin to kick like people said she would? Would she throw them? Would she fly against command? She brought her arms up around Hubert's waist and took the reins. She felt him shift uncomfortably with the contact. "I'm sorry," she muttered. He didn't reply.

The two of them sat like this for 30 seconds, a minute. Two minutes.

Stellifer tossed her head once, twice, and swished her tail. Her wings twitched a bit, as if she was saying "do you truly expect me to fly with the both of you?" But she never threw them. She never showed signs of being against carrying a man on her back. She accepted Hubert as her passenger.

Byleth leaned forward and spoke softly in Hubert's ear "take the reins."

"Are you certain?" he whispered.

"Take them," she repeated. She held the reins with her left hand and found his wrist with her right. He furrowed his eyebrows and allowed her to hand them to him.

"I was going to take them," he sighed, slipping them between his ring and pinky fingers. He pinched them a bit, trying to get them flat.

"Riding a pegasus is exactly like riding a horse when you're grounded," Byleth explained. Hubert could feel her breath on the back of his neck. He dug his nails into the palms of his hands, attempting to ignore how it made him feel. He hadn't been only inches away from a woman in quite some time (except for the times he was fighting one, of course). The feeling was exhilarating, but also terrifying in a way. It took all the same control he had not to quiver.

"How familiar are you with jumping?"

"I am familiar with the basic practice."

"Glad to hear that. It will serve you well that you can ride a horse," Byleth smiled a bit. "Flying is a lot like jumping, except you hold the position of your arms and wrists," she explained. "Push the pegasus forward with legs, relax your wrists and hold them midway up the neck," Byleth took Hubert's wrists gently and brought them into position.

"Is that comfortable?" she asked.

Her hands were so small. It was an odd feeling to feel them hold his wrists and place them anywhere, but a feeling he'd willingly experience again. Why had he resisted knowing her so much in the past? Resisted befriending her? Even when her father had died- 

"No," he scolded himself inwardly. "A selfish, stupid thought - to want to waste the time of someone who had other people who needed her time and talents. What could I have hoped to have done?"

"Yes, it is comfortable. Thank you," he replied quietly.

"Good," he could hear the smile in her voice. He hoped that she couldn't hear the growing fondness in his. It was becoming difficult for him to hide. He felt her hands and arms slip away, and her warmth with it. This was to some degree of disappointment, he noted. "Okay, now I'm going to see if she'll continue to let you stay on but without me. If she does, we'll hover to the stables so I can get a mount and we'll go up to the fifth floor. See if you can tolerate that much height, at least."

As she left Stellifer's back, he felt a deep sense of relief that he was not thrown. He found himself happy, truly happy. The anxiety had dissolved to someplace beyond his peripheral vision, and he looked to Byleth. He wanted to know - how was she feeling in this moment? This was only possible because of her encouragement, after all. Hubert couldn't help but find himself wondering what else could be possible if he would allow the opportunity to see the light of day instead of festering in cynicism and immediate defeat. He glanced to his side, hoping to catch a glimpse without her noticing.

To no avail. She was looking straight into his eyes as though she was lost and searching for his feelings, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! I especially enjoyed writing some of the more romantic scenes, such as the short hand holding scene and when Byleth was on Stellifer with Hubert. I find these slowburn fics difficult to write, but so worth it in the end. I have so many romantic ideas in mind, and I do hope that you'll be happy with what I have in mind once it all falls into place! A part of me wonders if maybe I'm going too fast, actually? Haha - I've been told I'm long winded, too. Who can say! Anyway, I'm very fond of you all and I so look forward to your comments and interacting with you some more. Tell me what you liked! Tell me what you hope for! I would love to hear it <3.


	3. One Glimpse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hubert avoids Byleth for a week, only to be asked to accompany her alone on an important task. After making camp, the two find themselves feeling a bit... strange.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was extremely fun to write. It's a little slow in the beginning, but I promise it gets -very- fluffy. Things are really going to accelerate from here. I'm kind of tired, so I don't have much in the way of notes this time other than I appreciate each and every one of you, and I hope you enjoy!! <3

Hubert hadn't felt so humiliated since he was a boy. He returned to his quarters in quiet frustration, all tension and darkness. How was he to deal with such overwhelming feelings of embarrassment? What does one do with these emotions? Bury them with anger. They're unbecoming. Pitiful display.

The Professor had done her best with him, and he had to give her due credit for that. She had extended kindness to him in her own way. He didn't fault her for that - he rather admired her. People who came on too strong were a bit much for him, and he never knew what to do with them. She was never guilty of such. She did everything right. In his mind, he was the one to blame.

He locked the door to his room behind him and slid into familiar isolation like a key into a lock. The comfort of being alone with his thoughts was an itch he had to scratch. There was no place for another person in his life when he was like this. No room for anyone else.

_The Professor had guided he and Stellifer up to the first platform before she had noted that all of the color had drained from his face. She stopped, there, and landed._

_"Are you okay?" She asked. His face contorted at the question, and he finally snapped under the combined pressure of social anxiety, pride, and his fear of heights._

_"Can we forgo the constant stream of inquiries about my well-being? I will be certain to inform you if I am unable to continue."_

_Byleth simply blinked, appearing to be unswayed by his outburst._

_He sighed, regretting it immediately. "Forgive me. I am... out of my element."_

_"Indeed. Perhaps we are moving too quickly," Byleth observed. "That's enough for today. Please practice riding Stellifer grounded, observe the divers, and study your reading materials until further instruction."_

It bothered him endlessly that he had allowed his hurt pride, of all things, to set him back. He wanted to fix it, but he wasn't sure how. He wasn't sure where to begin. So he did the only thing he knew how to do - bury himself in his work.

* * *

The two avoided each other over the course of a week. Byleth out of respect for Hubert's boundaries, and Hubert out of embarrassment. He obsessed over Lady Edelgard's every need; he wrote the most manipulative and exacting letters that he could pen. He plotted, schemed, and devised strategies for the coming conflicts that month. He organized her upcoming meetings, and was sure to pay "visits" to her enemies in the dark. He did it all with unmatched fervor. Being of undeniable use, he found, was the best way to remedy any feelings he could not simply will away.

"I have other retainers for this purpose," the Empress reminded him sternly one evening, standing at his back while he pored over pages of statutes. Something about properties, from what she could tell at a glance. It wasn't the usual kind of work he took on - she typically left this stuff to Ferdinand, since it seemed to be his strong suit. Hubert had burned through his own responsibilities days ago, and had taken on the burdens of others. Probably without their express permission, at that.

"Yes," he replied, distracted. "But please, allow me to serve you in every way I can."

She sighed. It was as if her words went in one ear and out the other. "Hubert, a word please?"

"Very well," he said, placing the quill gently in its inkwell. He looked up and his eyes met hers. She could see they were rimmed with a purple, bruised color.

"While I appreciate your diligence, I ask that you not take on the responsibilities of Ferdinand nor anyone else while you still have your own goals to accomplish. And get some sleep," her voice was firm, but kind.

He felt his stomach drop. Had he forgotten something? He desperately tried to recall everything he had done that week, searching for some responsibility he may have neglected that was lurking somewhere in the corners of his mind. Edelgard watched with some degree of sympathy as Hubert short-circuited. She knew he had been working very hard to meet her needs, but his own? They were forgotten, dismissed, or a combination of both.

"The Professor," she began slowly, gathering the statutes from the table and arranging them into a bundle. This was the last thing he wanted to talk about, and she could see it in his face. She walked to the doorway and closed the door behind her, standing in front of it.

He began to wonder if he could jump out the window without breaking his legs. 

Would the Empress have him beheaded if he picked her up and simply moved her? She couldn't be more than 5'3". Though, she could probably snap his neck despite her small stature. She wouldn't, of course, but he would never disrespect her by doing something so uncouth. He accepted defeat.

A gentle knock on the door interrupted his stream of consciousness. Edelgard turned and opened the door to find Byleth standing outside wearing an academy uniform with a light red headband. 

"Oh! Professor! Please, come in. We were just discussing you. That looks quite cute on you, by the way," said Edelgard. She placed a hand lovingly on her shoulder.

Byleth gave a simple nod and walked in. "Hi Hubert."

Hubert's knees were weak at the sight of her hair pulled away from her neck so delicately, and the way the skirt bloomed around her thighs. He had already been at a loss for words before, but now? He swallowed and searched for a greeting that felt right. "Good evening," he said with a polite bow.

"It's mid-morning," Byleth observed with a concerned look on her face. Hubert cursed himself silently.

Edelgard observed Hubert suspiciously, and he looked back at her inquisitively. Abruptly, as if something crucial had just fallen into place in her mind, a sly and knowing smile spread across her face. He knew that look all too well. He sighed in defeat and shook his head at her. 

"That's a funny coincidence, as I was just looking for you too, Edelgard," Byleth replied. She noticed the silent communications between the two, but chose to ignore them. She could never interpret the complex unspoken relationship between them.

"Please elaborate," Edelgard persuaded her.

"Well, we've run out of some of the ore we need to repair and smith weapons with. Umbral Steel and Agarthium, to be exact. I found a vein yesterday while scouting with some of our Pegasus Knights. I'd like to mine it and bring it back."

Edelgard looked elated. "That would be an asset."

"Well... As you know, we're not trusting low level soldiers with sensitive information. I was sure not to bring it to their attention yesterday. It's impossible to reach this destination by foot," Byleth continued, rubbing her temples.

"I see," Edelgard said.

"It's a two person job, in short. The materials are quite heavy and difficult to transport. We need two pegasus knights, at least. Myself and someone else."

"Why not a Wyvern Knight?" Edelgard offered while rubbing her chin.

"I had that same thought at first. They're stronger and could probably fly the materials straight back to camp. However, they're too big and prone to vocalizing without prompting. Upon a second visit to the location, I found that it looks... precarious. Pegasi are delicate and unlikely to create a landslide or rockfall. It would be a safer trip," Byleth explained. "We could try to train a Wyvern Knight to ride a pegasus. Often times it's hard to get a pegasus to accept someone." She looked exasperated.

Edelgard made up her mind swiftly.

"Hm. Hubert," Edelgard turned to her vassal and looked at him quite seriously. "Assist the professor with this. Thank you."

Byleth and Hubert exchanged apprehensive looks.

* * *

The pair had been riding through the woods, silently, for hours. Hubert rode on Stellifer, and Byleth on a large off-white pegasus named Echo. They pulled an empty cart for the ore behind them.

Byleth had hoped to see Hubert at the stables throughout the week. Perhaps riding Stellifer, or reading in the library. Anything to show that he still had interest in being a Pegasus Knight. While she had been avoiding direct contact, she knew it would be impossible to miss him if he was studying. But he wasn't. He had given up, it seemed. Yet here he was - or was he only following commands?

"I'm sorry about the last time we saw each other, Hubert," she finally said.

"Is that so?" he sighed. "As am I. Though, you certainly have no reason to regret anything you've done."

She wasn't sure what he was sorry for either, but this was a rather dramatic change of tone from their last conversation. She looked at the red tinged sky, and noted that the sun was getting low. They were gaining ground, but this was about as far as they could take the cart. This seemed like a good place to hide it.

"Let's stop here," she said, shifting her weight backwards. "Whoa, Echo."

Byleth hopped down and began to unload her belongings. Hubert joined her hesitantly. He wanted to explain his apology without being too forward. The shred of bravery he felt with Edelgard stuck in him like a pesky thorn, and it was growing and influencing him. He didn't know where it had come from, or why it was there.

"I'm parched," Byleth complained as she wiped the sweat from her brow. "I'll refill my canteen when we're done unpacking. There's a creek nearby."

Hubert deliberated for a minute before offering her his own water. "If the thought of drinking from my water doesn't disgust you, I just opened this one moments ago. Half of it remains," he avoided her eyes as he spoke, holding it out. "Then I could accompany you to gather more water."

She took the canteen from him swiftly and gulped the water down without a word. Hubert felt a little better. "My, you must have been thirsty."

She handed him the empty container and wiped her mouth on her sleeve with a nod. "Tasted a little odd," she joked with a slight cough. He gave her a shrug and took the bottle.

The two unpacked briskly, setting up a tent and a small fire pit. Once complete, Byleth gave Hubert an impromptu flying lesson on the way to the creek to gather water. "When you're less than 10 feet off the ground, we call that a hover," she called back to him from Echo's back. They were about four feet in the air.

Hubert felt comfortable. The evening air was pleasant on his face and in his hair. Travel by pegasus was much faster than by foot or even horseback, he noted. He shifted his body weight and the pressure of his knees to guide Stellifer downwards with a whistle, like Byleth had instructed him. After allowing the pegasi to drink and filling canteens, they returned in time for evening to fall.

Byleth found herself feeling woozy, but assured herself that it was exhaustion setting in. She got a fire started after putting the pegasi up. She was fairly used to having a more talkative travel partner, and wasn't sure how to make conversation by herself. She decided that this may be as good a time as any to practice this.

Hubert was seated at the fire, looking lost in thought. Byleth made her way over to him and sat at his side clumsily. She accidentally brushed against him, causing him to stir suddenly.

"So uh, guessing someone's age," Byleth blurted out awkwardly. She barely recognized the sound of her own voice. It was jarring.

"I beg your pardon?" Hubert replied. He looked at her face and stifled a laugh. The question felt hilarious to him, for reasons he couldn't quite parse. And his laugh sounded a little off - not the usual laugh that Byleth was used to hearing from him.

"I feel... **drunk**," Byleth observed.

Hubert held a hand out in front of his face and squinted at it. "It's fuzzy," he muttered, tilting his head to one side.

"No, that's hand," she corrected him. 

Wait, this was all wrong. Why was she acting this way? She shook her head, trying to will herself to think straight. The water - it had to be the water. It did taste awfully strange to her. "What was that water, Hubert? What's wrong with us?"

His eyes lit up after careful consideration, and he snapped his fingers in excitement. "I've got it," he exclaimed. "I... have drugged us!" He looked to Byleth for approval, appearing to be very proud of himself for having come to this conclusion. Though the gesture was adorable to her, she couldn't quite let such a statement off the hook.

Her mind was swimming in a cocktail of confusion, intoxication, and some feelings for Hubert that she didn't understand. "Excuse me? Why would you do that?"

"A mere accident," he chuckled with a shrug. "I couldn't bear the thought of forgoing this excursion with you, but the thought of sleeping on a mountain? It set me on edge. Manuela offered me a mild herb for my nerves." His usual cool and collected demeanor had dissolved. He seemed animated, happy even. It was almost surreal. He cleared his throat and did his best impression of Manuela: "Boil them in water and drink four ounces once cooled - really, you of all people, Hubert? I'm shocked!"

Byleth stifled a giggle.

"I digress - it seems that I must have, um, put plain water in my personal belongings and packed the medicinal water with our provisions. Forgive me."

"Between us... we must have had at least **twice** as much as what she recommended! I can't do math right now. Are we poisoned?"

Hubert waved a hand, dismissing her concerns. "I've used Blanket Pine on people dozens of times. Non-lethal, though it does tend to make people admit things in doses like this. It impairs their judgement. Akin to being drunk, as you observed so keen... keenly."

"Ah, well, I'm glad." Byleth felt a bit relieved, though she was not too worried to begin with. She let her head rest against his shoulder lazily. "I've made a pillow of you. That's the price you pay for this victimless crime," she grumbled into his sleeve. She grasped the fabric of his sleeve in her fist. She wanted to hug his arm. The Blanket Pine made her feel so deeply affectionate, it was practically unbearable. She couldn't help but want to be close to him.

"What a lovely price. I am more than willing to pay it," he said, returning her gaze. His experience with the herb was the same. He wanted to touch her face, but even in this moment he wasn't so bold. He knew better than to do such a thing without permission. Instead he placed his hand on top of hers and gently ran his thumb over her knuckles. 

Byleth let the rest of her body fall limp against his. The grass blowing in the wind, the smell of the fire, and the starlight made something in the core of her being stir. Ever since she had come home, she began to feel differently about her role in the lives of others. She couldn't help but think about the ring her father had left behind for her.

"I want to tell you something," she whispered.

His heart was dripping with heat that spread throughout his abdomen. The sight of her curled against him so tenderly was killing him, but not in a way he objected to. "Do go on," he replied slowly. 

"My father gave me a ring to give someone, for when I fall in love someday." The light of the fire illuminated her face, blushing. "But I've never so much as kissed someone. Have you?"

"Yes, I have," he replied. "Why?"

"I don't know. It seems so out of reach to me."

He swallowed, searching for that single thorn of bravery that had stuck into his side. He found it was still there, and that it had grown. He had some inquiries for her as well, and one in particular had been rattling in his mind.

"Is that not an Officer's Academy uniform you're wearing, professor?" he asked.

She shook her head in affirmation. "Unfortunately the clothes I was wearing when I disappeared... I can't get the smell of the river out of them. But yes, though I never wore it when it was first given to me. I was afraid I looked too much like a student. "

Hubert hesitated for a moment, but he betrayed himself. The words spilled out. "Never. The students paled in comparison to you."

His words pulled her taught like a string. Adoration pulsed through her veins, in her bones. It was overwhelming, a feeling she had never felt for anyone. Was this friendship? It ached so much. This must have been more. This must have been more than more. This was an all consuming feeling. The need to look for someone in a group of people, the need to go to familiar places and hope they would arrive by chance. The need to brush against them, and play it off as an accident. But did it need to be an accident, when he was saying such things to her?

"Th-thank you," she managed to stutter.

"You know," he began, goading himself on silently. "Caring for Stellifer while you were gone, it changed how I feel about you. It changed me. I couldn't get a read on you before, and it drove me to the brink of what I could tolerate in an ally. Certainly, such a person could not possess the dedication required to walk such a precarious path as ours. Someone so ambivalent could never understand the tragedies Her Majesty had endured. Someone like you could certainly never understand someone like me, and yet..." Hubert reclined into the downy bed of grass. Byleth joined him, and curled on her side to look into his face. He turned to face her in turn.

"You didn't abandon Her Majesty when you had every opportunity to. And once your absence in my life was felt, I wanted nothing more than to learn about you. I never could have known it; the unparalleled gentleness and compassion it requires to come anywhere near matching your excellence. You are a force to be reckoned with, Byleth."

Byleth felt a throbbing that spread from her throat into her chest. Something like sorrow, but also joy. The bittersweet ache of recognition and validation. She felt seen, for all the difficult choices and burdens she had carried on her own since she had arrived at Garreg Mach. And for it to be sealed with the sound of her name? Her eyes burned. She willed the tears back with all the strength she could muster.

"Oh..." she whispered, her voice cracking.

"Did I say something out of line?"

"N-no... I just, I want to hug you so badly," she stretched her arms out towards him.

"Heh, I must admit that I don't typically receive such requests. Come close, then," he placed his hands around her hips and pulled her towards him in an embrace. She brought her arms around his shoulders and sank her face into his collarbone. She breathed in deeply, unable to place what he smelled like. Some kind of cologne? Or perhaps an aftershave? Whatever it was, it intoxicated her. She could have suspended time to be with him forever, she thought to herself. Forget the war, forget everything else. All she wanted was this kindness. His hands smoothed the fabric of her blouse, and came to rest on her sides. She squirmed a bit under the unfamiliar sensation, giggling.

"I apologize, did I tickle you?" he said with mock sympathy.

"Perhaps. And I would not suggest that you attempt to do so again," she warned him playfully.

He risked moving his fingers just a little bit, but found that he had made a grave error. He was quickly flipped onto his back with Byleth sitting on his stomach. She had pinned his arms over his head, and was glaring daggers at him. "Predictable," she laughed.

"Impressive. Your sparring abilities are truly unmatched. I yield," he teased her, though he was in no position to be sarcastic. Byleth released his wrists, seemingly pacified by the praise, and laid down on his chest. He traced a finger across the small of her back, and she shuddered at the pleasantness of the contact.

"Hubert? Is this... how friends act?"

He paused for a moment, struggling to find the words to reply. "I don't know."


	4. In a Shell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hubert never stopped thinking about Byleth after they spent time together that night, and he can't help but wonder if she feels the same way. After a strategy meeting with the Black Eagle Strike Force to discuss the upcoming battle at the Great Bridge of Myrddin, he decides to speak his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! This was such a long week for me, and I won't lie - this chapter was a monster for me to write. I wanted to make sure I did it right, so I took my time with it. PLEEEEASE NOTE that I have changed the rating for this fanfiction to EXPLICIT! I just want to make sure that you guys know, in case you uh... don't want to read that kind of thing. Heheh.
> 
> If you want to chat outside of AO3 or just see what I'm writing/drawing, what I'm up to, etc: I made a tumblr for Fire Emblem shenanigans! littlepinklark.tumblr.com
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! And as always, I love talking to you in the comments and such, so feel welcome to drop me a line!

There was no going back for Hubert.

He had unconsciously withdrawn into a shell of his own making long ago. It was a comfortable way to live. It sheltered him from the pain of human cruelty, and the ugliness of the things he had to do. Soon it began to feel less like a part of who he was and more like an ill-fitting glove, or a collar that choked him when he dared to speak his personal truth. Garreg Mach loosened its hold on him, allowing him to live something resembling a normal life. He had denounced such a life as the frilly and meaningless nonsense of the everyday spoiled child in the past, but.

But then he met her. And he could most definitely **never** let his guard down around that damnable girl. Not for as long as he drew breath.

But seven hells - Byleth Eisner was the death of the shell. Her clemency intermingling with something that could only be described as pure dominion brought him to his knees and shattered his facade. 

Her soft, mint curls pressed against his cheek as she slept in his arms - a sensation he longed for each night he was without it henceforth. The sound of her breathing was like a lullaby. He was enamored with the scent of her (so heavenly), the rosy hue of her eyelids, her lips like flower petals, and he could have waxed poetic forever if he didn't have a job to do.

He was glad for the experience, even it only lasted for one night. It was both bliss and torture to feel his heart swell with adoration for another human being in the name of something beyond duty, something beyond birthright, and only for the things that made them lovable and good. His actions towards her were a **choice** that were all his, and no one made them for him. His feelings for her were his and his alone. She was someone he met by chance, or possibly by fate, and he felt so human standing in that truth.

Retrieving the ore with Byleth was a simple task with his second wind. He was fortified by his affection for her. It overpowered his fear by miles.

He wondered if perhaps the events meant something different to her. Byleth said little to him following the events of that night. She was as pleasant as ever when spoken to, always smiling and treating him with her trademark kindness. But he could not help but fear that he had gone too far, or perhaps not far enough to show her how he felt.

They returned to Garreg Mach without so much as mentioning the incident to each other again.

In two weeks time, Hubert knew that their lives could be forfeit in a conflict with the Leicester Alliance. They would be crossing the Airmid River to face Judith Von Daphnel at the Great Bridge of Myrddin. She was not a foe to be taken lightly, and to add to the complexity of the fight they could be facing any number of their old allies at the stronghold. While he had full confidence in his own abilities and Byleth's, he was not a fool, and he certainly wasn't immune to imagining the worst.

Just as there was no going back, there could be no compromise. He had to tell her.

* * *

For the first time since their return, Hubert and Byleth found themselves in a room together. Byleth watched Hubert in rapt silence as he and Edelgard mused over possible formations that Judith and the rest of the alliance could possibly take during their battle at Myrddin.

"Benefits to dividing our troops into two groups include flanking Judith, preventing a potential escape if she begins to feel overwhelmed once we take out her most valuable allies," said Hubert thoughtfully as he tapped his chin with his index finger. "But we don't want to spread our forces too thin, especially when one considers that there will be a concentration of opponents around Judith herself."

Byleth nodded. "We can expect multiple cavalrymen, at the very least."

"Archers," Ferdinand chimed in as he combed his fingers through locks of ginger hair. "And a myriad of them at that, I would imagine."

Edelgard blinked her eyes heavily, and Bernadetta stifled a yawn from across the room. Hubert glared at her with subdued austerity, and she whimpered an apology to him.

"That's quite alright Bernie," Dorothea consoled her. "We could all use some need sleep. Isn't that right, Edie? Hubie? Don't you think?" She folded her hands and rested her chin on them delicately while giving her most diplomatic smile.

Edelgard gave a quick nod, clearly welcoming the interruption. "Yes. Sleep. Hubert, let's continue this tomorrow, shall we?"

"Of course," he agreed.

Edelgard thanked the attendants, rose to her feet quickly, and left the room with Dorothea. The rest of the attendants mingled and chatted casually as they filed into the night. Hubert joined them after scrambling to gather his documents and lantern. He scanned the crowd for Byleth's familiar head of green locks amidst the group. He pardoned himself while gently pushing past Caspar as he glimpsed her rounding a corner.

"Ah! Byleth, a moment of your time please?" he called out.

"Hubert?" she asked, swiveling around to face the source of the voice. She looked astonished to hear her own name, but she knew it must have been him. It did sound like his voice, after all. And he was the only one she knew of who ever called her by her name. "Oh, it **is** you!" That meek smile of hers. The sight of it soothed his heart.

"In the flesh, heh," he replied with cheeks flushed by the cool night air. The two of them stood still for a moment, their breath creating clouds of heat. Byleth shivered a bit.

"Oh, let us get you someplace warm. Here, allow me," his fingers fumbled with the buttons at his neck as he removed his mantle. He wrapped it around her shoulders delicately. "There you are." 

"Thank you so much, you're a gentleman. I hope you won't be cold, though?" she chirped gratefully.

"I'd gladly be cold in your place."

Her eyebrows knit together in concern. "If you insist... You did a wonderful job tonight, by the way! Your insights are a godsend. I was on my way back to my room for the evening, but if there's something I could do for you on the way there?" Byleth said cheerfully.

"It would be a privilege if only to accompany you on the way there," he replied. "My only wish is to partake in conversation with you, if you'll have me."

Her face reddened in embarrassment. "When did you become so sweet? Of course I'll have you. Did you have a question about flying? Speaking of which, I have some wonderful news." They were approaching her room quickly, and his heart sunk as the topic drew further away from his intended course. Nothing for it, he supposed. It did delight him to see her excited, so he did not attempt to change the subject.

"And what would that be?"

"I think I may have found the perfect gelding for you," she looked down, but glanced back up at him happily. "I have been trying to keep it a secret since we returned, but I can't resist now that you're here with me. I'm sorry for spoiling the surprise! I just wanted to do it to thank you, you know... for everything." They were at her door now. Hubert's heart was overflowing.

"Thank me for everything? Whatever do you mean by everything?"

Her eyes were cast down now, cheeks dusted with a light rosy hue. "Hubert?" she asked tenderly.

Every muscle in his body tensed at the sound of his name in her voice. He folded his arms behind his back to hide the trembling in his hands. "Yes?"

"Would you come inside with me, perhaps?" she asked. Her cheeks were a full flush of red now. Hubert imagined that his must have been much the same. He nodded. She sighed in relief and placed a single hand on her chest before turning to her room to unlock it.

She shut the door behind her quietly once they were inside. He observed the candles melted against the furniture with blackened wicks, the stacks of books with worn spines and wadded balls of paper discarded about the floor, and the light scent of lavender from an unknown source. She delicately lit a couple of the candles and took a seat at the foot of her bed to remove her shoes. The bed was covered with a blue quilt decorated with small white birds. He couldn't help but try to imagine her there, all those nights he wasted away not trusting her. This is where she laid down to dream each night, where she came to be alone when the world was too much, where she undressed-

She looked up at him, demure yet alluring, and beckoned him to come closer to her. He stepped forward, only inches away now. She crossed her ankles, folded her hands in her lap, and took a deep breath.

"Hubert," Byleth said after exhaling, her voice quivering with anticipation. "I've been thinking so much, and... I may not know anything about love, or what it means to be a friend, but this is not how friends act. I know it isn't-"

There was no pause, no hesitation - only raw courage and desire. He dropped to his knee before her as she sat on the bed, placed one hand on her cheek and the other on her waist, and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss. She gasped at the sudden contact, but eased into it. Her eyes fluttered closed, parting her lips and allowing him to taste her. She placed both of her hands on his back and grasped the fabric tightly. She tried pulling him closer, though she could never get him close enough to satisfy the need that she felt.

Hubert broke away slowly and kissed her forehead, bringing one hand down to her thigh and squeezing it gently. The skin there was softer and warmer than he could have imagined.

"Then we won't call ourselves "friends"," he finally whispered in her ear. The baby hairs on the nape of her neck stood at attention.

He stood and lifted her by the waist, placing her against the pillows accumulated at the head of the bed. He laid down beside her and took her in his arms. She nuzzled into his chest.

"Is there something I can call you to convince you to kiss me again?" she whispered shakily.

Hubert laughed, harder than she had ever heard him laugh, and propped himself up on one elbow. He felt confidence bloom in his chest like an orchard in the spring. "Come, now. You really believe you must convince me to do such a thing? Ask, and you shall receive."

"Kiss me please, Hubert?"

He released her from his arms and straddled her hips. She diverted her eyes and bit her lower lip at the sight of him on top of her. He gently took her wrists in one hand and pulled her arms up over her head, pinning them in place while leaning in to kiss her again. Her tongue was soft, lips slightly chapped, and her kissing was eager and unpracticed. He smiled into it, caressing her upper body with his free hand. She arched her back and moaned into his mouth.

"Byleth, I have been unable to rid my thoughts of you since we fell asleep together in the forest," he pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. "We'll be leaving for the Airmid River soon, and I do not want to leave anything left unsaid."

She tilted her chin up and she planted a gentle peck against his lips confidently. "I'll protect you," she murmured. "I'll protect everyone."

Hubert's eyes softened at her words, and he released her wrists. "Sometimes I feel that you are a gift I do not deserve. These sentiments of yours... they are what I am so fond of in you," he began, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. "I admire your courage so deeply. Your loyalty is unmatched; to think I questioned it once. I was such a fool."

"I'm so happy that you care about me. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you either, Hubert."

Hubert cradled her in his arms, threading her hair between his fingers. The candles cast shadows that danced in time with their movements like ghosts of their affections. The air was thickened with longing and unspoken words, almost unfit to breathe. Byleth felt her desire for him building with each kindness he presented, and she couldn't help but ask herself if it was right to want him this much. When they had only just kissed for the first time? When they were not married, or even engaged? When perhaps he was not ready for such a thing himself? She had not even asked him. Was it alright to ask? She had so many questions that she did not know how to ask. She was still learning to speak her mind, after all. She had never been much for words - she was always more of a tactile person, in truth.

"Hubert, would you touch me?" She sucked in a deep breath and released it, anxious as could be.

His eyes widened a bit. "Doing so has only been my deepest fantasy."

Hubert sat up on his knees, removed and tossed aside his gloves, and hiked up Byleth's skirt to reveal her white lace panties. Blood rushed to her face, shocked by the immediacy of his actions. A part of her had anticipated rejection, hesitation, or a pause at the very least. But Hubert pulled no punches.

"H-Hubert!"

"Let us make up for lost time? I want nothing more than to bring you happiness."

He placed one hand on each of her trembling thighs and parted them. Light green curls of hair escaped from the edges of the fabric of her underwear, moist with her arousal. He smiled at the sight of her sex, and teased it with a single finger. His touch was whisper soft; it was in stark contrast to her reaction - a violent jerk into his hand with a shudder.

"Ahhn! Are you, are you really going to tease me this way?"

He chuckled darkly. "Allow me to enjoy you at my own pace, won't you? You're so lovely, and I'd like to take my time. I'd like to make this last." He removed her underthings as he spoke.

Byleth whined and pressed her hips forward, seeking out his hand again.

Hubert lowered his face to delicately kiss the insides of her milky white thighs. He delighted in the sounds of her moans and pleas, and teased her with his fingers. She quivered with pleasure and turned her head to the side with eyes squeezed shut in anticipation.

The sudden and shocking sensation of the wet, hot flat of his tongue lapping at her clit nearly had her sobbing in pleasure. Her knees shook with the intensity of it. She had never been so intimate with another person before. And she felt so blessed for it to be with him.

A lance of white hot arousal cracked through her, her body begging for more more more. He relentlessly circled the small blossom of nerves with the tip of his tongue, and then delved gently into her folds with longer, softer licks. She released a low moan, unable to contain herself.

He lifted his face for a moment and wiped his chin, glistening with Byleth's moisture and his own saliva. "Are you happy, Byleth?"

She whimpered and nodded in response. He was brushing her clit with the pad of his thumb and watching her body's reactions - small twitches and jerks from her hips. He lowered his head back down again to resume tonguing her clit.

Byleth felt as though she were on fire. She lifted her head momentarily to observe him at work, the only real movement she would allow herself to make, and dropped it again. She wanted to squirm against him, to thrust into his mouth, and to buck against his tongue. But all she could do was take the pleasure he slowly gave her, building and teasing her orgasm out of her at his own pace. She was too embarrassed to do more, and it took everything in her to restrain herself.

Hubert gave a slow lick upwards and then, softly, sucked on her clitoris. He had pushed her to the limit of what she could tolerate. She cried out - a sound he had never heard from her before. "Good girl," he thought to himself, humming and inserting a single finger into her to explore the softness within. She clenched around him and came undone.

"Hubert! I-I can't!! I'm going to..." She arched her back in pleasure on the bed with the orgasm that took her body hostage. Hubert smiled, pleased with his accomplishment. She collapsed against the pillows in relief, bright red and panting in exhaustion from the pleasure that lingered in her body.

"You're so beautiful, Byleth," Hubert whispered, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

"Thank you, Hubert, for doing that. For everything." Her voice sounded small and far away. Hubert felt a bit concerned at the sound of it, and began to wonder if he had rushed her in some way. But she had been the one to initiate this, he assured himself. She had been the one to ask him to do it, and she nodded when he asked if she was happy. If something was wrong, surely he could reconcile it.

"Please, allow me to clean you up. To take care of you. If there's anything you need of me-"

Tears began to prickle the corners of her eyes, and she sniffled a bit.

"Byleth?" He asked, observing the glimmer upon her face. He rushed to her side, cupping her cheeks in his hands. "Did I do something to upset you? What's wrong? Please tell me."

She shook her head and eased into his touch, so soft and loving. "I'm just. I'm so happy, and I'm..." her eyes avoided his still. He couldn't help but take notice to this. He kissed her tears away and brushed her bangs back with his palm before kissing her forehead.

"I'm glad you're happy, but, why are you crying? And why can't you look at me? Have I done something?"

The sound of his voice would have brought her to her knees if she had been standing. "You did everything right. It's just... I've spent most of my life feeling very little," she explained slowly, taking the time to choose her words carefully. "So when I feel something strongly, I sometimes find that it can be quite overwhelming. And I just, I don't know how to say it." She curled on her side and pressed her face against his chest.

He pet her hair soothingly and placed a hand on the small of her back, trying to ease her into speaking her mind.

She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling more tears coming, and quivered in the cold. Hubert pulled the quilt up from the edges of the bed and wrapped it around her, bundling her up. She tucked her head under his chin.

"I always wanted you to accept me and to trust me when we met. I wanted us to be friends, and now I'm closer to you than anyone else I know. And I just want to be with you now. I know I can't be with you all of the time, and I'm just so afraid to lose you in this fight. I know I said I'd protect you, and that I would protect everyone. But what if I die, Hubert? You could die, too." She shuddered.

Hubert had only seen her break down once before, and the sight hurt his heart. He sighed into her hair and rested his cheek on top of her head.

"Forgive me, Byleth. I am not skilled at comforting others, and I certainly do not know what to say beyond that I do everything I can to ensure that I will be there for those who need me. You, and Her Majesty - I would like to stay by your side, if you'll allow it."

It was in that moment, for the first time, that he realized how small she really was. Her fragility despite her strength, her humanity despite her ferocity, and her very life all relied entirely on her bond with Stellifer. That bond, which he had romanticized so deeply all of this time, was but a string that tied her to this mortal plain.


	5. Prey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth fights the best she can for Edelgard, even if it means risking her life. Even if it means she has to avoid Hubert to get the job done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my first time ever writing anything like this, so I hope I did it right! Additionally, this is very Byleth heavy chapter. There is not much going on between her and Hubert in this one. But it needed to be, because it is setting up for a major change in the dynamic of their relationship. Anyway! That's enough out of me. I hope you all enjoy it.
> 
> A small warning. This is a chapter about battle, so there is violence. It's nothing too gruesome, but. It's there.

They had been so impersonal with one another. 

"I implore you to fight as best you can for Edelgard. From the bottom of my heart," Hubert had said to her, his pale green eyes bearing into hers intensely. "I beg this of you." Those were the last words Hubert said to Byleth before they marched, silently, onto the bridge that morning. 

She could hear the rapids of the Airmid River flowing in the distance. She had been trying to fixate on that soothing sound in an attempt to ground herself in the physical world before the battle. "You needn't even ask, Hubert," she replied, avoiding his eyes. He gave her a small smile, and that was the end of it. Simple, single-minded, and goal oriented - it reminded her of the way they used to talk, but perhaps a little bit kinder. She was grateful for it, in a way. It allowed her to focus on what was to come without the distraction of her budding affections for the man. 

A loon cried somewhere in the distance as they crossed the threshold of the bridge. It was an eerie sound that broke the familiar droning of hooves on granite, plate armor rattling, quiet murmurs of the soldiers as they spoke for what could be the last time. 

Upon arrival, Edelgard turned and spoke to the troops as they stood looming before the bridge. She was all business without a hint of anxiety in her words or body language. The plan was to defeat Judith before reinforcements arrived - and Byleth had heard it dozens of times now. She knew what she and her unit had to do: they had to pull ahead and clear a path. It was as simple as could be. They were ready to fight like hell, as they always were.

Stellifer's muscles twitched eagerly under layers of polished armor. Byleth smiled confidently and reached down to pet her golden neck, slightly moist with sweat. Perhaps she too was eager to protect their found family, even though she was but a beast.

"Forward!"

The cool air was like a clap of thunder in Byleth's ears as Stellifer kicked off from the earth. Byleth pressed her legs forward and pinched the reins between her fingers, easing Stellifer above the fray. The river gleamed to the north of them with the morning light, rippling and twisting in the breeze. 

"No Wyvern Knights in sight," she thought to herself with a click of the tongue. Perhaps the enemy hadn't anticipated needing the mobility to deal with the threat of the Empire Pegasus Co. They pushed forward without interruption, their ears popping from the abrupt change in pressure.

The flock of pegasi dropped precipitously upon the enemy cavalry with lances angled earthward and primed to flay enemy flesh. They thrust into the human wall of soldiers, angelic wings blooming with flecks of bright red blood. Javelins pierced the air, whistling and predatory. Stellifer dodged the projectiles with ease, flattening her wings against her body to dive. One knight caught a javelin and threw it back, missing her target by a hair. 

Byleth fought with a quiet, patient wrath. They were capable, but not plentiful. They needed backup to take down all of these soldiers, and they were supposed to be receiving aid from Ferdinand and the cavalry. She listened and listened for hooves on cobblestone, a familiar cry, or a whistle from a friend. She looked over her shoulder, searching for that familiar red armor.

No matter, she comforted herself. Just a delay.

* * *

Hubert and Linhardt crouched behind an overturned wagon. Linhardt kept stealing glances ahead to see how far behind they had fallen when time allowed, while Hubert looked to the sky. Their steeds had both been stuck full of arrows, leaving the two to fight on foot together. 

The sound of heels on stone alerted them. Hubert whipped around to face the source of the sound. It was Dorothea, breathless and injured. "Hubie, Lin! Oh," she panted, a large gash in her arm. The blood seeped from between her fingers as she grasped the wound. "I can't find Caspar, or Edie. Have you seen-"

Her words were interrupted by an ear piercing wail. Hubert ducked down low and pressed a finger to his lips. "Wyvern," he whispered.

Dorothea nodded and joined him behind the cart. "The reinforcements must be here."

Hooves striking the bridge filled their ears, and the beating of wings drew nearer. A voice rang out as they approached. "Pathetic... Captain Jeralt would be ashamed. Where are you, Professor?"

Dorothea looked at Hubert, wide eyed. "Is that Leonie?"

Hubert pressed his finger over his lips again, stressing the motion this time to insist that his companions stay quiet. The Wyvern Knight flew over them. It's great neck swept side to side, and its eyes grazed over them as it passed. He had no choice, now. They had been spotted.

Hubert threw his hand up into the air with fingers splayed, tossing Dark Spikes T at the beast. He bit his lip as black splinters flew into the air and created a dome around it, wedging into the creature's scaly belly. It cried out pitifully and came crashing to the ground in a heap, wings crumpled like wet paper. A flash of yellow darted from behind it on horseback.

Dorothea was faster, releasing a stream of sweltering fire from her fingertips in a wall between herself and Leonie. Leonie's steed reared in pain and fear as white hot flames licked its body, throwing the girl to the ground. She cried briefly before her head hit the bridge. Linhardt rushed to her side and pressed his fingers under her jaw to feel for a pulse.

"Well, you didn't _kill_ her. She's simply unconscious, it would appear. But what to _do_ with her?" Linhardt mused, rubbing his chin.

"We don't have time to worry about her. We've got to move," Dorothea urged Linhardt. "We've given away our position with all of that flashy magic for sure. There have to be more reinforcements on their way to flank us."

Hubert growled in frustration. He hated to leave behind a potential source of intel, especially one that was out to hurt Byleth in specific, but she was right. He nodded despite his reservations.

"I'm fine with that! I hate the idea of carrying her, how _tiresome_. And even more, I hate the idea of killing her," Linhardt shuddered at the thought as he spoke.

Dorothea grabbed Linhardt's wrist and rushed forward. Hubert watched the skies as they advanced, his eyes scanning the clouds for a glimpse of white or gold. "Edie and the Professor have to be up there. We have to warn them! The rest of those reinforcements went the other way. They must be going to take the ballista!" 

* * *

A pop of colored light drew Byleth's eyes to the ground, flashes of red and orange stark against the grey stone bridge and sparkling blue river, followed by a whistle that pierced the bitter clash of steel against steel. The signal from Edelgard, she realized with a start. She pulled down on Stellifer's reins, drawing her towards the ground. The line of Alliance soldiers dividing The Empire and Judith had grown thin and worn since the arrival of Ferdinand, Bernadetta, and their accompanying units. 

Byleth's stomach lurched with a shifting sense of gravity as Stellifer's hooves hit solid ground. The familiar scent of armor oil, blood, and iron overwhelmed her senses. Dust floated through the air and settled in her hair and clothes. 

Edelgard approached briskly with Hubert in tow. While she had not learned to read Edelgard's face, the emotions on Hubert's were salient - something was not right. She could see it in the way his mouth was drawn into a tight line, and the way his shoulders were pushed back in feigned confidence. Something had gone wrong. Byleth dismounted Stellifer swiftly, the feeling of her feet on the cobblestone alien, and she rushed towards the pair.

"What's wrong?" she asked breathlessly, spear in hand and face glistening with sweat and spots of blood. Some of it was hers, some of it wasn't. She couldn't take the time to worry about which was which, nor could she try to be presentable to the Empress or to Hubert.

"Reinforcements," Edelgard began immediately, throwing an arm out behind her. "Wyvern Knights, bow knights, and paladins across the way. They're going directly towards the ballista, and they have an advantage in speed and distance. We can't let them take it, or there's a very real chance they'll gain the upper hand. Ferdinand and Bernadetta are on their way there now, but they may not make it in time for-"

Byleth's eyes avoided Hubert. She knew what she had to do, and she knew that no one would like or accept it. She knew they were faster, and that they could make it in time to hold the reinforcements off. "We'll go. We'll buy Bernadetta the time she needs to take the ballista."

"Wait, that's not what I was suggesting at all. That's too dangerous! The Bow Knights will rip the pegasi to shreds, and the..."

But Byleth had already decided. If they shot Edelgard with that ballista, everything would be over. They would lose the stronghold. There would be no Empire. There would be no unification of Fodlan. She turned her back on the Empress and her consul, her mantle fluttering behind her as she walked to Stellifer. "Believe in me, Edelgard."

* * *

A pegasus was not a creature that was born to fight - it was born to flee. They were not equipped to take a hit. They relied solely on their ability to be nimble, and to dodge. They did not have a hide that healed easily from being torn, or teeth made for ripping flesh. They were prey, not predators. And only a particularly brave pegasus could become a mount for a pegasus knight. That is what Hubert had learned.

It was similar for a Pegasus Knight. It took a special kind of person to become one, it was said. They were vulnerable in the sky, and all had to come to terms with the concept that a fall was either a death sentence or a potentially permanent crippling injury. It was a trauma, at the very least. All knights had to learn the value of trust to create such a bond with an animal that trusted no one, and all had to accept that this was a role that could easily end in death.

The union of pegasus and knight is the joining of predator and prey to make something more; it is the creation of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

The flight to the ballista was Byleth's final moment of relative peace that day. They soared over Ferdinand and Bernadetta early on, signaling to them as they passed with a whistle. Her eyes scanned the horizon for wyverns. They were not difficult to spot. Dark, webbed wings and antlers. Muscular bodies all made of talons, fangs, and scales thick like armor.

The collision over the unarmed ballista was immediate and violent. A rain of ivory feathers, scales, and blood fell to the bridge as the two units collided with a crack. The pegasi had height, reach, and speed to their advantage. The wyverns had brute strength, size, and numbers. The sounds of bones snapping, draconic and equine shrieking, and wings clapping filled the air.

Divine pulse, divine pulse, divine pulse. Byleth must have used it a dozen times before she was no longer able to conjure the power - she tried to save as much of her unit as she could, but accepted beforehand that this was essentially a suicide mission. They all had. The final use ended with a hand axe lodged in her shoulder. She groaned, struggling to keep her eyes open. The right side of her body was soaked in blood from the neck down. She held on to Stellifer for dear life as the fragile creature dipped and twirled away from so many reptilian beasts. Byleth wasn't left handed, but she did what she could with what she had left.

Dark spots webbed at the corners of her vision as blood loss squeezed at her consciousness like a relentless fist. She fought it with everything she had, hoping against hope that she could stay awake long enough to keep them distracted. This meant that more of her unit would survive, and that Ferdinand and Bernadetta could get there and save them from certain death.

The clicking and popping sound of the ballista locking into place and training on Stellifer drew Byleth's attention, but not on time for her to save herself. The bolt tore into Stellifer's hindquarters, sending ribbons of blood flying into the air. The impact sent them both careening toward the river, and for a moment the scales of time seemed to tip. "Is that Leonie at the ballista?" Byleth wondered, straining her eyes as she plummeted down and down. Yes, it appeared that it was.

She wanted to know if she had failed, and who she would be if she could find a way to come out the other side of this. She wanted to know what she would find on the other side of failure. She wanted to know if anyone coming for her, now. But she had fought the best she could for Edelgard.

The river crashed around her as she made impact - a million needles on her skin. It ran red with blood and feathers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to follow me on tumblr, I'm: https://littlepinklark.tumblr.com/
> 
> Let me know what you thought! I love reading your comments <3 :)


	6. The Marquis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hubert, in his anger and sadness, resolves to join Byleth in the skies on their next mission. The two are reunited. Byleth finds herself questioning her humanity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early chapter! And I hope to have another one to you this weekend. I hope. We shall see. Anyway, I've gotten some questions/concerns about the story ending. I intend for it to run the full length of Crimson Flower! So it has quite a way to go. Also, as I mentioned from the beginning, it isn't going to be entirely canon compliant (sorry) so some additional... things... may happen.
> 
> This is a very self-indulgent chapter! Enjoy :).

Hubert didn't know what to do with his emotions. They burned slowly in his chest, the ashes settling in his throat and threatening to escape as scathing words.

Why had she done something so foolish? Why had she thrown her life away? They had a plan, and she threw that to the wind like it was nothing. How could she be so rash when he had worked so hard to make sure that she would be safe? His blood boiled. He would have cut Leonie to pieces if she had not retreated with Bernadetta's arrow lodged above her clavicle. He see was tense with the desire to avenge Byleth, but afraid to see her. Afraid to hurt her more.

This was the fourth time on the second day that Hubert stood outside of the heavy oak door in that lonely hallway. Surely he would be able to find the peace of mind required to see her this time - all he had to do was knock. He'd be able to be kind and supportive, and surely she would be happy to see him. He called upon the better part of his human nature, certain that it would answer to him this time.

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He counted backwards from ten, cracking his knuckles.

No - his anger was unyielding, yet again. It swelled inside of him feverishly. He left the door behind him, unable to face her. Guilty. Furious. Confused.

As he made his way down the hall he was met by the bruised and bandaged face of a dark haired girl. She was familiar to him somehow, he thought. The girl who he had met on his first day of training with Byleth. But what was her name? Something with an "M", he recalled. Monica?

"Excuse me, Monica," he said with a short, curt bow. He began to sidestep her, but was cut short.

"It's Meredith. And where do you think you're going?" She said with hard-nosed determination, stepping in front of him to block his path.

"Excuse me? I don't have time for your little games. Get out of my way before I make you."

She narrowed her bright green eyes at him. "Where were you at Myrddin? And why haven't you been to the stables for drills? Captain Eisner went through a lot of trouble to get you a gelding before the coup, you know."

He scowled. "I don't know who you think you are, but-"

"I know who I am. Stop it and come take care of your gelding! Or he'll bond with me instead." She scoffed at him. "I'm already taking care of my pegasus and Captain Eisner's pegasus too, and now you think I ought to take care of yours? You didn't even get hurt."

Hubert sighed in defeat, glancing over the numerous welts that peppered her skin. He knew when he was beat, and he knew it was his responsibility to care for his own animal. "I shall be there this afternoon for the gelding."

"And Myrddin?"

"On horseback, for a time. Then on foot."

"I suppose you didn't feel prepared to fly? Do your drills. You'll be ready next time. We lost a lot of people. We need all the support we can get... Captain Eisner needs all the help she can get."

* * *

Hubert had grown used to visiting the stables during the busy hours of the day, sunlight streaming through the trees and sparrows chirping. It had been a month since he had waited until the evening to come and tend to Stellifer. He passed the tack room and inhaled deeply as he walked through the aisle of the stables, the sweet smell of hay overwhelming his senses. He looked into Stellifer's stall.

Her hindquarter was cleanly bandaged, and she appeared to be sleeping comfortably. Blossom, who had grown a great deal, was sound asleep beside her. The fawn had grown beyond the point of needing milk, now.

He came to the stall beside Stellifer's. A brass name plate had been fastened there by Byleth herself. She had told Hubert about it proudly, how she had saved the stall beside hers for him specially. His heart stirred sadly at the memory. Her sweet smile, how happy she had been about it. He had hoped they would experience this together.

"Marchosias," he read out loud, feeling the syllables in his mouth. He peered into the stall, seeking out the creature that such a dramatic name belonged to.

Marchosias was a prodigious specimen, at least 17 hands tall from a cursory glance. His raven colored coat gleamed in the dim light of the barn. He eyed Hubert suspiciously, flicking his long tail impatiently and pawing at the ground with his massive feathered hoof. Thick muscle tensed as though he were ready to take flight at any moment. A glimmering, coiled horn branched from his forehead. He was as enchanting as he was intimidating. His eyes looked into Hubert's as if to whisper "I know you."

It unsettled Hubert, deeply. It felt akin to signing a contract, or being drawn into a blood pact. He felt as though this beast knew him, but not with his permission. It was not even human.

He reached his hand out slowly and visibly, gauging Marchosias's response as he did so. The creature blinked slowly like a cat, as though giving him permission to pet his snout.

Hubert drew his hand back, disturbed and unsure of how he knew that this was "permission."

He turned quickly on his heel and left as quickly as he came. He wanted to see Byleth. He needed to see Byleth.

* * *

Two Pegasus Knights peeked in through the door of the infirmary, candlesticks in hand, trying to catch a glimpse of Byleth. They were rosy cheeked and bruised. "She fights like a demon. I was up there with her the entire time. The stories are true," one of them chimed, nursing a bandaged arm. The quiet one nodded in acknowledgement, humming cheerfully.

Linhardt, who was feeling particularly cranky after having been awake for 24 hours to take care of the Professor himself, marched into the hall and closed the infirmary door behind him. He crossed his arms and glared at them, sporting dark circles under his eyes. "Excuse me, how old are you anyway?" he said with a yawn. They stared at him blankly, at a loss for words. "If you'd like to see a demon, I'd be happy to introduce you to one. His name is Linhardt, and he needs a nap very, very badly. Would you kindly leave?"

"Ah! Sorry!" She stuttered. They scampered away, and began giggling as they almost ran straight into Hubert who was rounding the corner of the hallway with his lantern. "Oh, here comes her demon boy friend himself!" one of the girls snickered.

Linhardt raised an eyebrow and shook his head dismissively, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "What is their problem anyway?"

"They enjoy teasing me," Hubert muttered, placing a hand on his forehead. "Pay them no mind. They only do it to get a rise out of me. I don't frighten them."

"But... you frighten everyone," Linhardt remarked, scratching the back of his head in confusion.

"Nothing scares those girls. They're indomitable." Hubert shrugged helplessly. "Speaking of indomitable, how's..." His voice grew soft, and his eyes trailed away.

Linhardt looked a bit surprised. "Ah, do you need to speak to the Professor? I'm afraid she's in no shape to attend meetings or to scheme with you, Hubert. She's exhausted, still. She's going to be okay, but... I had to draw fluid out of her lungs. She had broken ribs as well as a broken shoulder, which I healed. She had major blood loss. It was a nightmare." He drew his eyebrows together in sympathy. "We're lucky to have both myself and Manuela. It would have been too much for one person."

Hubert visibly cringed at the description of Byleth's injuries, a pained expression on his face. "No! I don't expect her to attend a meeting! I may be cold-blooded, but I'm not daft. I just wanted to speak with her, privately, if possible?" Hubert stammered.

Linhardt stared at Hubert suspiciously, rubbing his chin as the gears in his mind turned. Then his tired eyes lit up with recognition.

"The 'demon boy friend', eh?"

Hubert felt the blood drain from his face.

"Don't you dare start in on that nonsense!" He spat venemously.

Linhardt yawned and blinked sleepily. "So, any truth to it? It's not like I care what you do with your personal life, Hubert. It just isn't like you - checking in on injured people," he explained, watching the man brood and fidget as he spoke. "I've never seen you here before. Not even once. And you know, I sure enjoy an anomaly."

Hubert's face had gone from pale to red. "If you say one word to anyone-!"

"You can trust me, because Hubert... I just don't care. But if I may ask, what is it that you are ashamed of exactly? She's a great person."

"Enough! I'm going now, if I may be excused!" He growled.

Linhardt shook his head. "Okay okay, I'll just be out here. Napping."

"Of course you will," Hubert muttered, closing the infirmary door behind him softly.

The room was still and quiet. It smelled of herbs and rubbing alcohol. He could hear shallow breathing, and the soft rustle of sheets. All of the beds were empty, with the exception of Byleth's. Her body was small and clothed in a white night gown. She sat up suddenly, framed in the soft glow of lantern light. She turned her head in his direction at the sound of the door. Her pupils dilated. She turned away quickly and buried her face in her hands, shielding her eyes from the brightness. A choked sound escaped her lips. "Oh... Hubert."

Hubert's heart was nearly beating out of his chest with anger, sorrow, and affection. He wanted to shake her, to kiss her, and a part of him even wanted to hold her and cry. But he knew that none of those things would serve either of them. He took a deep breath. It hitched in his throat audibly.

"I almost lost you forever," He approached her bed swiftly.

"Hubert, I'm sorry! I was just doing everything I could to protect Lady Edelgard," she said quietly, staring out the window. "I did it to keep my promise to you. I did it to protect everyone. I was trying to do what you wanted me to do."

He swallowed, keeping himself in check. "You thought that I wanted you to die? The very thought of you believing such nonsense..." He placed the lantern down and kneeled at her bedside.

Byleth lowered her head. He placed his hand under her chin and tilted her face up to look at his. "Please, look at me."

"I'm too ashamed," she whispered, her voice cracking. She closed her eyes, avoiding his gaze. "I should have held out longer. I'm sorry."

"Don't be ashamed. Don't apologize. You fought well," he said quietly. Her presence allowed his anger to dissolve, softening and falling away into a place that was unreachable. His sadness and love was palpable, now. It ached in his body, taking the form of a longing that he hadn't known was there.

He took her face in his hands. "But the plan, Byleth. We had a strategy. I made it with you on my mind, with the possibility of us losing the ballista taken into careful consideration," he kissed her forehead. "And using you as a pawn..." He stroked her cheek with his thumb and pressed his forehead to hers. "Never. I could never conceive of such a thing. You are indispensable. The thought alone..."

Moonlight poured through the window as the waxing gibbous rose in the sky, bathing the two in silver. She leaned in to his touch, finding comfort in merciful tides of kindness following the great violence she had endured.

"Do you see me as human?" Byleth whispered. The sound of her voice deepened the cracks forming in his heart. She must have heard the girls, he presumed. Did such a thing trouble her?

He rose from the ground and laid beside her on the bed, which was too small for both of them. She settled into his arms, feeling small and vulnerable beside him.

"I find it amusing that anyone should compare you to a demon, really. Your penchant for self-sacrifice, loyalty, and kindness. Byleth, you are not a demon - you are an angel. If one of us is a demon, I suppose that would be me."

"An angel? But... Don't you hate the goddess?" she asked.

Hubert shifted uncomfortably, as though caught in a lie. She eased in closer to him, resting her head upon his chest as if to reassure him.

"There was a time where I was not certain, but... yes. I believe I do. She has failed at every opportunity to properly fulfill her role, to protect us. To protect you. We're taught to use our power wisely, yet the being with all the power in the world does nothing? Absurd. Clearly her power dwells within you, and yet she has abandoned you." He kissed the crown of Byleth's head. "What kind of being could come to know you and have the heart to leave you behind this way?"

Hubert felt tears soaking through the fabric of his tunic. "I don't think she really meant to leave, but. It doesn't matter now. I just can't help but be afraid, sometimes, when I find myself doing such stupid, selfish, and heartless things." Byleth muttered into him.

Hubert blinked in shock. "Heartless?"

"You're right. The plan. I didn't think about how many of the Pegasus Knights would die. I only thought about the fact that I could probably make it, because I-"

"Because you'll blame yourself at whatever cost? Because you want to torture yourself despite your best intentions? I know your heart."

Byleth didn't speak. Hubert found himself growing concerned. He had never seen her this way. She had always been cool, confident, and never let anything bother her. He couldn't blame her, of course. After everything she had been through since the death of Jeralt, it would be more surprising if she wasn't traumatized.

"If I had a second life that I could dedicate entirely to you, it would be yours Byleth. Because I trust you. I would trust you with my life."

"That's sweet, Hubert," she sniffled and wiped her eyse on her sleeve. "I don't want a different Hubert, though. I want this one. Besides, I'd rather you share your life with me than give it to me."

His heart was reeling from her words, but he couldn't help but smile.

"I rather like the sound of that. We could be a couplet of birds, flying alongside the sovereign of Black Eagles."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this. If you're curious, I picture a black friesian horse when I think of Marchosias! They're very large, elegant creatures. A favorite of mine.
> 
> Leave a comment and let me know what you think! I truly love hearing from you. It keeps me going. And if you want to say hi, stop by at my blog on Tumblr at LittlePinkLark! I love it when people say hello to me :).


	7. The Empaths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth and Hubert spend time at the pasture with Hubert's new pegasus, and Hubert appreciates what it means to be a Pegasus Knight as he learns more about its concepts. Byleth is reunited with her pegasus, but finds that things may not go quite as she had hoped they would.

Sleep had been quiet and empty, once. It had been a warm and soothing darkness that combed through the wrinkles of daytime's complexities and left them sterile and smooth.

But it had become something new and terrifying for Byleth now. A river formed like a path in front of her, snaking, shallow, and violent. She walked through miles of water streaked with blood and broken pieces of cobblestone. Feathers slipped by her ankles like tiny blades and glassy eyes peered at her from the shallows below.

Whispers rang through the dark, accenting a chorus of animal screams. A rain of scales glittered in the dim light, the source of which was unknown to her. What were the voices saying? And what was this deep feeling? Sorrow, fear and something that she just couldn't quite place her finger on.

Then Byleth would wake up. A nightmare, and only a nightmare. But the feelings smoldered in the recesses of her mind, and the gentle gloss of sweat that coated her face was real. Her temples were pounding, and her shoulder ached with the ghost of the handaxe that once violated her flesh. She touched the reminder of the coup at Myrddin gently, and could swear for a moment that she felt the dampness of blood-

But no, it was nothing. 

Just a closed wound that her friends had made quick work of. It felt tender still, and it pained her at times. Her ribs throbbed with bruises. Daily therapeutic white magic would work it out. Rest and drinking fluids would work it out. _Time_ would work it out.

She hoped.

* * *

Hubert stared blankly at Marchosias as he trotted through the pasture, stray blades of grass flying through the air as his hooves struck the ground. He flexed his wings anxiously as he took in his surroundings. Hubert sighed, feeling a bit guilty. It was his fault that the beast had been cooped up for so long, after all. He was in a state of shock that Marchosias had even let him take him to the tacking room, not to mention lead him outside.

Building a bond with Stellifer had taken time, care, and patience. She would never have allowed him to lay a hand on her so quickly. The other pegasi were very much the same, if not worse. Finicky creatures that were wary of others, and some of them were impossible to befriend if they hadn't chosen you as "their person." But his pegasus seemed to have chosen him on their first meeting. There was something uncomfortable about that to Hubert. After all, people seldom trusted him even with ample time and effort.

Hubert leaned against the fence and enjoyed the warm touch of the morning sun on his skin. It wasn't something that he had always liked, but it had grown on him during his time at the stables. He glanced over to the gravel path that lead to the dormitories, keeping a watchful eye out for Byleth. 

It had been her first night sleeping in her own room. He was concerned for her well being. He had come that evening with a gift for her once night had fallen. It was an old book of illustrations that he procured while combing through the Archbishop's belongings. He had cleaned it carefully, removing the dust from the pages and the cover with a soft cloth. It was beautiful, and a suitable gift for the woman he had grown so fond of. He wasn't sure if she was the type to sit and enjoy a book like he was - she certainly seemed to be more athletic than bookish. But he had hoped she'd appreciate it all the same, and there was only one way to find out.

It was one of many books that Rhea had taken from the library's shelves and hidden away, deemed unfit for the students' eyes. The illustrations were of various creatures with mystical or divine properties. Each was accompanied by short bits of folklore or poetry. There were mentions of Sothis, as well as deities from other cultures and lands - the probable reason for its confiscation. What caught his eye in particular were the multitude of colorful birds, unicorns, and pegasi: all of which reminded him fondly of Byleth. He wrapped it in rose scented paper that he bought (discreetly) from the marketplace. 

Hubert had never given a gift to someone he had feelings for before. He had clumsily attempted to nurture two or three shallow relationships in his youth to please his father's requests to sustain the family bloodline with an heir. However, he ultimately found the endeavors to be unsatisfying wastes of time that stopped him from serving Lady Edelgard properly. He never felt any true warmth or affection towards the girls despite his best efforts, and certainly never attempted to give them gifts.

"Hubert?" Byleth's voice plucked his heartstrings and summoned him into the present moment.

"Ah, Byleth. Good morning," he said congenially, taking her by the hand and kissing her knuckles gently.

A blush crept across her cheeks and she glanced to her left and right, looking out for witnesses who may have witnessed the act.

"Hubert!" She laughed incredulously. "What if someone had seen you do that that?"

"What if, indeed?" he lifted his eyebrows questioningly. "It's only you and I. As well as..." He turned to face Marchosias, who was idly nibbling at some hay. Byleth flinched internally at the sight. Pegasus diet could be expensive to accommodate even during good times. Unlike horses, their diet rarely included hay or grass. While they had the capacity to digest it if need be, they mainly fed on grains and fresh fruit. These food sources were harder to come by, now, so they were often forced to resort to hay. Byleth couldn't stand the sight of it.

"I see that you've met your new friend," she said with a ghost of a smile on her lips. "And not only that, but you were able to coax him out of his stall, bridle him, and saddle him too. Impressive."

Hubert smirked confidently and crossed his arms. "Heh, my friend you say? Funny. You _did_ manage to acquire perhaps the most accommodating pegasus I have ever met," he made his way towards Marchosias, and Byleth followed. 

"Accommodating? That's an interesting description for a Palei Pegasus. I thought you two may get along."

"I've never heard of the breed before," Hubert admitted. He reached his hand out, hesitantly, and placed it on the side of Marchosias's neck. Marchosias's flicked his ears forward attentively and leaned in to the touch.

Byleth blinked in surprise. It seemed that the gelding had chosen Hubert very quickly. Her instincts had been correct. She had a gut feeling that it would be, but since her hospitalization she had begun to doubt herself in every capacity. She felt a great weight lift from her chest. She had read about the Palei while searching for a pegasus for Hubert. She had read that they were confident, intelligent mounts who bonded quickly with those who were clever, loyal, and strong. She had also heard that they were difficult to startle, and that it was possible for riders to cast spells from a riding position. When she was able to get in touch with a seller, she knew she had to obtain one for Hubert. It had taken some time and haggling, but seeing the results made everything worthwhile to her.

"I will not lie," Hubert began as he pet the creature's mane. He cast his eyes downward. "I find the Empath Bond to be... unsettling. I had read about it in my studies, and it was difficult for me to imagine. It sounded absurd, but intriguing all the same." His eyebrows knitted together in concern. "I can feel how nervous Marchosias is, and it sets me on edge. I'm not sure if the discomfort I feel around him is mine or his."

Byleth sympathized with Hubert. When she formed her own Empath Bond with Stellifer, she had felt a joy that she never experienced on her own. Stellifer was a happy, playful pegasus. When she left the stables it was an odd feeling to come back down from that natural high. But when her father had died, Stellifer seemed to be experiencing the grief as well. The animal had no concern of her own for Jeralt - they had only met on the battlefield. But any strong feelings that Byleth felt sent a wave to Stellifer.

"Ground yourself," Byleth instructed. "Know who you are, and separate yourself from him with that."

Hubert scoffed. "Do you really believe that I don't know that I'm not him?"

"Of course I do, Hubert. All the same, how strong is your sense of self?"

He paused and removed his hand from Marchosias's neck. "Strong enough to know who I am."

A soft breeze brushed against Byleth's face. The sensation of wind brushing against her skin reminded her of being in the sky that day, of the rush of air that formed a column around her body and chilled her to the bone as she plummeted towards cracking bones and blood. She wanted to do the best she could to shape Hubert into a better knight than herself, so that he wouldn't get hurt like she did. So that he would be safe. To prevent him from falling. "So you know what the Empath Bond is. But do you know what its purpose is?"

Hubert sighed and placed a hand on his forehead. "I suppose the objective of using magic rooted in emotion does... elude me."

"The Empath Bond allows you to work as one with your mount. You become partners on a level that's unmatched. They have an emotional intelligence that rivals ours. The more centered you are, the more this magic will serve you. However, if you do not have a strong sense of self, then you will fall out of balance with Marchosias. All of his feelings will be felt by you, and you won't be able to separate yourself and observe them neutrally."

Hubert weighed her words in his mind. Introspection had never been a goal or past-time of his. Previously, he believed that that type of naval gazing was best left to the selfish, spoiled, and weak-willed. He had never imagined that it could have such a practical application, or any utility at all for that matter. He was intrigued by the concept. 

"Think of it like this. Your understanding of yourself will serve as something like a protective shell between you and him. If you cease to understand yourself, or never do in the first place, that shell will be too weak to protect you. It's dangerous for a Pegasus Knight to venture down that road. That is my personal theory as to why purity has been a common trait among Pegasus Knights throughout history. The pure follow their moral compasses, and thus rarely have to question their understanding of themselves. This gives them a sense of integrity and inner strength that's necessary to succeed in this role."

Hubert nodded solemnly. He began to think about his own understanding of himself. It had become clearer to him, he realized, since he started to spend time with Byleth. He knew that he was a person who could be ruthless and frigid, but that he did it in the name of his steadfast loyalties. He knew that he was a person who placed value on wit and cunning, on hard work and someone or something's capacity to provide utility. He liked to hide away and read in the library in his free time, and he hated to think of the past. He wanted to protect Edelgard, and to protect Byleth too. He wanted to help create a future where they could be safe and happy. But that was about the extent of his insights into himself. Was it possible that Byleth was right? And how much did she really know about herself? It seemed to him that she didn't even know how old she was or the circumstances of her existence, much less understand her own feelings. Hubert rubbed his chin pensively as he considered this.

"You know, I think I may know what he needs to feel less nervous," Byleth interrupted Hubert's thoughts.

Hubert turned away from Marchosias and looked at her. "Oh?"

"When was the last time he was taken to fly?"

Hubert smiled a bit. Truthfully, he was not sure. But he was glad to hear that Byleth was interested in being up in the sky on her first day back on her feet. Though a part of him was not sure if she would truly be ready. He was careful not to wear his concern on his face, for fear of discouraging her from recovering. After all, he knew that pride was slow to heal for many. For himself, this was certainly true.

"Well well, perhaps we ought to make it today? Let's go fetch Stellifer for you and take flight together."

Byleth's eyes widened reflexively. Her arms folded over her body, and she quivered a bit. "Yes, that sounds delightful."

Hubert raised a single eyebrow. "Is that so? Forgive me if I am stepping out of line, but you do not look delighted. If you had not intended to join me in flying, and you would prefer to observe-"

"No, of course not. Let's go."

Hubert examined Byleth's body language carefully as they made their way to the stables, but found himself getting lost in thought over her attire. She was wearing shorts of some kind under her pleated knight's skirt, and a knitted top. The outfit was black with navy and gold accents and flourishes, and she wore a black headband. Her skin was slightly pink in the cold. He admonished himself upon the realization that he had been ogling her when he had meant to be looking out for her best interest. He redirected his eyes to her face. Her eyes were as indifferent as ever, mouth drawn into a neutral line. Her body was relaxed and showed no signs of pain or feeling threatened as she opened up the stable. He felt a bit better - it appeared that she was fine, for now.

They approached Stellifer's stall. The pegasus was inside alone. Blossom appeared to have been taken out by Fleche for exercise or socialization.

"Hello Stellifer," Byleth said quietly, peering over the edge of the stall door. Hubert joined her, but something didn't seem right. Stellifer's trembling wings were folded over her golden body defensively, large dark eyes blinking and staring at them. The bandage on her hindquarters had been removed, scarred flesh revealed where the fur hadn't grown back. Magic and medicine had done its work on the body of the animal, but not her mind.

It was as though Hubert had been punched in the chest. He almost doubled over with the feeling. Byleth stayed steady, resisting the psychic assault. She sucked a deep breath in through her teeth and reached to unlatch the door to the stall. She thought to herself that if she could just get closer then she could soothe her companion with her own calm, and bring her some peace. 

Stellifer lunged forward and then darted to the back of the stall where she crouched, fluffing the feathers of her wings out and drawing her head down.

"S-Stellifer?" Byleth stuttered, taking a step back and leaving the door latched.

The pegasus hissed fearfully at the sound of Byleth's voice. Hubert was surprised by the sound, as he had never heard such a thing before.

Byleth backed away slowly, shushing the creature soothingly, and then turned her back to leave once she had gained enough distance. Hubert stood in shock, watching the generally good-natured beast begin to regain its calm as Byleth left. Once his senses returned to him, he rushed to catch up with Byleth, who appeared to have relaxed as well.

Neither of them spoke. They were at a loss for words. Byleth's face was vacant, eyes empty and unfeeling. She stared into the pasture, pupils fixed on the apple tree. Hubert searched for something to say or something to do that would be appropriate. Something helpful. But he knew that there was nothing. Emotionless - he had not seen her this emotionless in quite some time. 

"Nobody told me that she was struggling like this," Byleth said quietly.

Hubert hesitated for a moment. "_You_ were struggling Byleth. She has been cared for painstakingly. We all care for both of you, but we did not want to bring you any further despair."

Byleth looked as though she wanted to contest something, but stopped herself. "It's true. You're right. I have been struggling," she replied. "Perhaps I am not ready for this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed the pegasus lore and content in this one? :)
> 
> I may not update next weekend, as I will be going on a vacation! I'll try to write on the plane, but I can't make any promises.
> 
> As you all know i'm on Tumblr @LittlePinkLark. I also made a Twitter with the same handle.
> 
> Anyway that's all. Can't wait to hear from you <3.


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